Date: 1905

"Those hidden bonds are twined about the heart, / So that the captive wanders unconfined, / And has no sovereign but o'er his mind!"

— Betham, Matilda (1776-1852)

Date: 1922

"He laughed to free his mind from his mind's bondage."

— Joyce, James (1882-1941)

Date: 1928

"Or what is Hair but threads of gold / That Lovers Hearts in fetters hold?"

— Butler, Samuel (1613-1680)

Date: 1975, 1976

"Wherever the mind goes, it still lies in the harness of the mind. The Sutra sometimes uses the expression "Bind the monkey" to refer to taking hold of the mind. But the monkey image is only a means of expression. Once the mind is directly and continually aware of itself, it is no longer like a m...

— Thich Nhat Hanh (b. October 11, 1926)

Date: 1978, 1979

"The discipline tying mind in that way to the meditative object is expressed by the simile of training an elephant, for example, a wild elephant is tied with many massive cords to a trunk or a post."

— Wayman, Alex

Date: 1978, 1979

"The mind is like the untrained elephant. When it is bound with the cord of mindfulness to the firm post of the previously discussed meditative object, [even] if it is unwilling to remain there, it is gradually brought under control, goaded by the hook of awareness."

— Wayman, Alex